The world is increasingly chaotic, with social norms collapsing, violence rising, and people doing whatever they please without regard for law or authority. This reflects a timeless human problem rooted in the rejection of divine authority. Proverbs 29:18 states that without revelation, people cast off restraint, but those who keep the law are blessed. The Hebrew concept of revelation here refers to the corrective, warning ministry of the prophets, whose messages were grounded in God's law. Solomon links revelation directly to the law, showing that when people reject prophetic teaching rooted in God's law, they run wild and ultimately perish. The Revised English Bible captures this by emphasizing that without someone in authority, people throw off all restraint. Judges 21:25 echoes this, noting that when there was no king in Israel, everyone did as they pleased. Yet God was Israel's true King, and the deeper problem was Israel's rejection of His authority and covenant, not merely the absence of a human ruler. The consequences were devastating, as seen throughout the periods of the judges and the kings. This pattern traces back to Genesis 2 and 3, where God established clear authority and law, and Adam and Eve chose to follow a cunning serpent instead. Romans 1:18-25 confirms that humanity has consistently suppressed the truth, rejected God's authority, and suffered the consequences ever since. God designed humanity to live within an ordered hierarchy of authority, as outlined in 1 Corinthians 11:3, with God the Father supreme, Christ under Him, and mankind structured accordingly. Subverting this order, whether in marriage, family, or church, produces conflict and dysfunction. Authority itself is neutral. The problem lies in how it is used or rejected. God uses His authority perfectly, and believers should have no hesitation submitting to Him. The fear of the LORD, meaning the genuine acknowledgment of God as the highest authority and living accordingly, is the found